


GAME OVER

by 100percentfluffster



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and funny, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Junkrat Freaks Out, Junkrat's Memory is Shit, Light Angst, Overwatch Fam Coping, Roadhog Calms him Down, Simulation Training, Spawning, game mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 15:11:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13297521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/100percentfluffster/pseuds/100percentfluffster
Summary: Junkrat's spotty memory creates problems when he and Roadhog join up with Overwatch. Their teammates struggle to understand and deal with Junkrat's incomprehension.It all comes to a head during training when Roadhog dies and Junkrat forgets it's all a simulation.Overwatch Family feels! Cute Ending!





	GAME OVER

**Author's Note:**

> No relationship between the two junkers is formally brought up, but a strong partnership is implied. Can be platonic or romantic. :)   
> Be prepared for feels!

Junkrat doesn’t remember things the same way most people do. He can’t pull up full memories or remember conversations word for word. He doesn’t remember what he’s eaten, even if it was only half an hour ago, and he often forgets what he’s doing, while he’s doing it. 

If something is repeated often enough, or explained enough times, Junkrat will remember it. It becomes more of an instinctual knowledge to him than anything else. Chemicals, moving parts, gunpowder, steel traps: these are all things that Junkrat knows without thinking. His own name, his smiley face doodles, his terrible jokes: are things he knows and uses in every moment. 

The young junker remembers his bodyguard too. Roadhog’s name, his pink and black polished nails, his golden rings, his scent, his tattoos: they’re the backdrop of Junkrat’s existence. At this point, Junkrat struggles to remember the times before Roadhog was there. His every action and reaction attuned to his bodyguard. He sees pachimaris and cute things and thinks of Roadhog. He seeks out and steals anything pink or fluffy he can get his hands on, for Roadhog. He tries to think of new jokes, for Roadhog.

No one fully understands how Junkrat’s mind works, least of all the junker himself. Roadhog understands the most. He knows where the biggest cracks are and how to avoid them. He knows what sets Junkrat off and how to best appease the man. But the small junker’s reactions still often take Roadhog for surprise, because... Junkrat just doesn’t remember things the same way most people do, which results in some unpredictable reactions.

Could be that it’s all a result of the explosion and the radiation. Could be that his memory was fucked up from birth and that it’s the reason he managed to survive all the terrible things that’ve happened to him since. It doesn’t really matter. 

When they first join Overwatch, the two junkers keep to themselves, too wary and suspicious of all the others. But after a few weeks of living on base, Junkrat’s curiosity drags him out of their room and into the team dynamic. Within just a couple of days the entire team has caught on that something isn’t quite right.

“Ay, Sheila, how’s that thinger mabobber followin’ you ‘round like tha?” Junkrat asks, eyeing Snowball’s path behind Mei. 

Mei sighs loudly and snaps out, “Stop asking me that! The answer never changes!” 

Junkrat cackles and rubs his flesh arm over his metal one, picking at the shoddy paint job. “I asked it o’ ya’ already then, mea culpa.” He scuttles away quickly after that and Mei just watches him go in frustration. 

 

A couple hours later Tracer blinks by Junkrat and rolls her eyes when he startles and moves to attack her. It’s a feral reaction. He bares his teeth and hunkers down as if ready to jump, his fingers grasping and twitching. She blinks out of harm’s way and watches as Junkrat loses sight of her and shakes his head at himself. “Ya’ seein’ dust shades e’en here. Not in the Outback a’ymore, are we, ya’ idiot?” he mutters to himself, pulling at his hair and his chapped lips. “Where was I goin’ then?” She scoffs and continues on her way, thoughts of the strange man falling from her mind. 

 

McCree found it amusing at first, but now the joke’s worn off. He pulls the hat back off his head and Junkrat immediately settles down, eyeing the cowboy up and down cautiously. A noise pulls the junker’s notice away from McCree for less than a second, but when Junkrat turns back around, the suspicion and fear is gone from those orange eyes. “Oi, ‘ello, mate! Ya’ seen ma big fella ‘round here as of late? I been lookin’ for ‘im!” 

McCree stares at Junkrat and bites his tongue to keep himself from swearing the man out. The cowboy tries to reach for his patience and he nonchalantly places the hat back on his head, where it belongs. The reaction is instantaneous. Junkrat’s eyes go large and round and he hisses, “Bounty Hunter!” Junkrat strikes out wildly and snarls, “Ya’ can’t have me treasure! I’ll die before ya’ get it from me!” 

McCree huffs in anger and shouts, “You’re beatin’ a dead horse with a stick, Fawkes.” He turns on his heel and stomps away, only pausing to look over his shoulder for the second before he turns the corner. Those orange eyes are still on him, burning with an intense hatred and… confusion?

Sombra will admit she likes sneaking up on people, especially new recruits, but she quickly learns that it doesn’t work on Junkrat. He’s never surprised to turn around and find her there even when she hadn’t been in the room just seconds earlier. 

After the third failed attempt in an hour she finally stomps her foot in agitation and demands, “How do you know I’m here?” 

Junkrat turns and grins at her with strangely sharp teeth. “Oi, Sheila! Didnae notice ya’ there, ya’ been there long?” 

“Wait, so you  _ didn’t  _ know I was here?” 

Junkrat shakes his head enthusiastically, causing them to smoke slightly harder than normal.  His eyebrows furrow slightly as he looks over her shoulder and he asks, “You seen the angry one? With the…” Junkrat wiggles his fingers by his ears and trails off. 

“Hanzo?” Sombra asks with a small smirk of amusement. “He’s in the kitchen, just to the left, you were just talking to him.” 

“I was?” Junkrat replies. “Oi, ta, mate.” He lopes off in the other direction and she just watches him go. 

 

Lucio finds it endearing the way that Junkrat gets newly excited each time the dj boosts their speed. The junker will giggle loudly and shout his glee at his giant companion, who merely chuckles quietly. The small junker jumps and twirls in the green light, talking to himself and laughing until Lucio eventually has to switch back to healing. 

He asks Junkrat about it later in the day after training and the tall but hunched man gives him a strange look. “What’re ya’ on ‘bout, mate?”

Lucio later hears Junkrat talking to Roadhog about how he’s thinking of painting his prosthetics green. “I dunno, mate, it just feels faster ta me, ya’ hear?” 

 

Almost all of the teammates have had some sort of similar experience with Junkrat, and none of them are sure how to approach the man. On the beginning of the third day, they’re all gathered together for a quick debrief. They’ve trained together in smaller groups, but today is to be the first time they run a simulation together as a full team. 

“Tracer and McCree will take the left flank, approaching the payload from the west. Widowmaker, you’re sniping at the spawn and Hanzo I want you on the battlement watching for any stragglers that could loop around back. Genji you follow up with anyone Widow and Hanzo can’t pick off…” Morrison drones on and on about each individual’s assignment and Junkrat just watches and listens with an almost glazed over expression. 

The team goes through necessary safety precautions, logging their bodies into the program so they can be spawned back when they die. Mercy triple checks the logs before giving the simulation the green light. Junkrat goes along with whatever his bodyguard mumbles, but no one tries to explain what’s going on to him. 

As they board the shuttle craft that will ‘fly’ them to their mission location, everyone can hear the very one sided conversation between the junkers. “Where we goin’?” Junkrat asks, his face pressed to the window beside him. “What’s we flyin’ ‘round in, then? What’s tha voice comin’ from? There gone be ‘bots where we goin’?...” Junkrat’s loud voice breaks off suddenly and then only low indistinct whispers from Roadhog can be heard. 

“Wha’?” Junkrat asks, his tone carrying complete bafflement. “We talked ‘bout this before, have we?” 

Roadhog leaves Junkrat at their seat and approaches Morrison on the other side of the aircraft. The mission is almost fully loaded, the doors will be opening soon. “We’re out,” Roadhog grunts out. 

Morrison’s facial expression is hidden by his visor, but he doesn’t say anything for a long moment, assumedly in confusion or surprise. “What? We’re already queued in.” 

“We’re out.” 

“You agreed to team training when you joined us, Mr. Rutledge, this isn’t an optional--” 

“Rat doesn’t understand.” 

“If you could kindly have your associate pay more attention at the next briefing we--” 

Roadhog growls low in his throat and shifts his large figure further into the soldier’s personal space, “Told you I don’t like this. We’re out an--” 

“We’re already here, Mr. Rutledge,” Morrison snaps out impatiently. The doors open with a gentle swoosh behind them and Roadhog’s head turns to look over at Junkrat for a quick check in. 

“Listen here, little man,” Roadhog says grabbing Jack by the front of his jacket and lifting him off the ground with ease. “We’re out. Now. Unplug us.” 

They both turn their heads when they hear the bang of a concussion mine to watch Junkrat go flying through the air and out of the shuttle. The young junker gestures with his grenade launcher and giggles out, “Com’on, Hoggie! Let’s scrap some bots, ya?” 

Roadhog instantly drops the previous strike commander and ambles after Junkrat with a low growl of frustration. Jack dusts himself off and follows after them at a sprint. 

 

The mission is going fine at first. The team is used to the standard drill. Roadhog manages to corral Junkrat into the general area where they’re supposed to be, though it soon becomes obvious that Junkrat doesn’t know anyone’s names or where they’re supposed to be. He just keeps shooting off grenades into the enemy willy nilly and Roadhog is hooking the stragglers and survivors and blasting them in the head with his scrap gun. The lethal duo is a sight to behold by their teammates. They’re chaotic, but in sync. Destructive yet precise. The rest of the team works around them. It’s reasonably effective. 

Then things go to shit. 

Roadhog gets blasted back by an enemy bomb and he lands several meters back on the ground with a loud thump. Junkrat immediately abandons his post and runs back to his bodyguard. Junkrat twists a can of hogdrogen into his mask, the wounds healing up before their eyes. The enemy pushes in behind them however, having seen the opening. Roadhog grabs Junkrat up and begins running back to the rest of the team. 

Junkrat sprays bombs into the masses, but they’re getting too close for explosives to be effective. Roadhog shields his boss’ body from several bullets and Junkrat snarls and shouts at the sight of blood on Roadhog. The bodyguard tries to crush another can of hogdrogen into his mask but his arm is jostled by a shotgun blast to his shoulder and the can skids away from him. 

“Fuck!” Roadhog snarls, falling to his knees as he stumbles from the blow. Junkrat screams in anger and throws his last handful of mines and bombs at the approaching figures. He jumps towards the fallen can and scrambles back to Roadhog with it. The giant is bleeding from too many injuries on his back and even as Junkrat tries to engage the can Roadhog is curling around his boss and protecting him from more shots. Junkrat screams and screams and picks up Roadhog’s shotgun sending blast after blast over his companion’s shoulders into the soldiers behind, until the gun is empty of scrap.

“Rat!” Roadhog says. Junkrat hunkers down, one hand on Hog’s belly and the other touching the mask. “Remember, Rat, this isn’t real.” 

“Wha’?” Junkrat stammers. His orange eyes are bloodshot and teary and they can’t stop looking at the men and women that are attacking. 

Roadhog shakes Junkrat’s thin frame, trying to regain his attention. “It’s not real. It’s a game, remember? We talked ‘bout this.” 

Junkrat blinks slowly and repeats, “A game, yeah?” 

Roadhog grunts as another volley of bullets hits him and he knows he’s not going to last much longer. He thinks about snapping Junkrat’s neck so his boss will spawn with him, but can’t make himself do it. Junkrat snarls and pulls at the mask on Roadhog’s face, fingers alternating between pulling on the straps and searching his guard’s body for more cans of healing gas. 

“Hoggie, Hoggie, Hoggie,” Junkrat chants. 

Several of the team members flow in from the side, finally delivering the back up they need, but Junkrat doesn’t pay them any attention. Doesn’t notice them. A few of the enemy push past DVa and Mei who are trying to cover Junkrat and Roadhog. The hostiles raise their guns at the mostly dead Roadhog. Junkrat snarls and launches himself at them, tearing at everything he can reach. He’s out of bombs, out of mines, used his tire, so he just scratches and gouges and bites and breaks. He’s screaming as he does it and his teammates turn to watch him in horror. 

Junkrat pokes and pulls desperately at Roadhog’s now lifeless body, snapping and snarling at any of the teammates that get too close. Mercy steps forward, trying to revive Roadhog in the hopes of calming the smaller junker down. Junkrat jumps on her, tackling her back and scratching at her arms and face. He quickly retreats back to Roadhog’s body, to continue his touching and calling of his name. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Junkrat repeats as he tries to think. Roadhog isn’t supposed to stop moving. He’s not supposed to get shot this much or run out of cans. What the hell were they even doing, he can’t remember. Wasn’t worth it, whatever it was. Wasn’t worth his Hoggie. 

The Overwatch team watches in terror as Junkrat begins screaming and sobbing and snarling at them. He crawls over and around Roadhog’s body looking for more hogdrogen cans. He swipes at Tracer when she blinks by and he smashes Snowball under his prosthetic leg when it gets too close. 

“Junkrat!” Lucio urges, “He’s okay!” 

“It’s a simulation, Jamison!” Mercy says. 

“Stay back!” Junkrat shouts, his voice cracking from strain. “Stay back, you drongos! I’ll kill ya’! I’ll kill ya’ all!” 

Ana raises her sleep dart gun and pulls the trigger, but the drugged dart bounces off his metal arm to the ground. He turns to glare in her direction, his orange eyes glazed in confusion and grief. 

“Shit!” DVa breathes out in shock as she watches with tears in her eyes. “Jamie, Mako’s fine, he’s on his way back now!” 

Lucio takes another step forward and Junkrat’s head comes flying up to watch his approach. Lucio turns the music to a more mellow track and tries to comfort the stricken man, “Roadhog will be here any moment now.” 

There’s no warning for the attack, Junkrat’s muscles already coiled too tight to advertise his intentions. Junkrat slams into Lucio’s body, sending him careening back into DVa’s MEKA. The junker doesn’t stop there though, not this time. He throws himself into the thick of the team and attacks everything and everyone in his sight. They try to grab him and restrain him, many try to just straight up shoot him. He’s too fast and he’s too strong, fueled by his despair. 

“Motherfucker!” McCree shouts the moment before he manages to get a bullet through the manic man’s skull. Silence falls as the team looks down at Junkrat’s dead body. A low shout of rage can be heard and then McCree’s stomach sprouts the curved tip of a metal hook. The cowboy is sent flying through the air straight into the fire of Roadhog’s scrap gun, though he was most likely dead before the shot hit him. 

Roadhog bounds over to the group and picks up Junkrat’s small body. The corpse looks like a toy in his huge hands. Roadhog pats Junkrat’s chest with a small broken sound before placing him back on the ground. He doesn’t look up but he says in his terrifying growl, “Shoot me.” 

Widowmaker doesn’t hesitate, she pulls the trigger twice and Roadhog’s body falls to the ground for a second time. The team stands in silence, shaken to the core. Morrison is the first to finally react and he orders everyone to stay away from the ship. He sprints back himself. When he finally reaches the air carrier he doesn’t see the two junkers but he can hear them. Junkrat is sobbing and hyperventilating, the sounds echoing off the metal of the aircraft. 

Jack’s eyes catch on a puddle of blood and he cranes his neck to see a body laying on the ground with scrap lodged throughout it. Morrison grimaces when he sees the cowboy hat and McCree’s shredded chest armour. Unfortunate timing on his spawn. The boy’s not gonna be happy with Roadhog after this. 

“Athena, remove Mr. Rutledge and Mr. Fawkes from the simulation immediately,” Jack shouts. 

“Right away, sir,” the soft feminine voice replies. 

The cries cut off. 

 

No one sees the junkers for the next week, and no one dares approach their room. The team is somber and quiet, keeping their voices down and their eyes on the ground. A general feeling of guilt and shock permeating the base. 

They’re all gathered for dinner together, minus the two junkers, when they hear the heavy footfalls advancing down the hall. Everyone falls silent, eyes on the door to the dining area. Roadhog ambles into view and he stops in front of them. 

They can’t see his eyes through the mask, but he stands and turns his head to see them all. “Lucio. Hana.” Roadhog says. He gestures for them to follow him and after a moment’s pause they stand and move to him. He walks back the way he came and the two teens follow closely if not hesitantly. Morrison immediately moves to follow them as does McCree. 

The whole team eventually trails after them and when Roadhog makes it to the door to his and Junkrat’s room he turns and looks at them all. He slides the door barely open and points at Hana and Lucio once again. The two teenagers slip into the room. Roadhog follows behind them, closing the door, and everyone hears the lock fall into place. 

Jack steps forward with his fist raised to bang on the door but Ana stops him and says, “He will not hurt them.” 

“Did we not witness the same thing?” McCree asks in disbelief. 

Ana waves off the words and replies, “That was an extenuating circumstance. He saw his partner die. Tragically.” 

“He didn’t really die!” Morrison snaps back! He raises his fist again but stops at the sound of light laughter through the walls. Above it all can be heard Junkrat’s normal jovial giggle. Ana smiles and raises her eyebrows at her former commander. 

“They killed me  _ twice! _ ” McCree insists.

“And you’re a bounty hunter that we all know Junkrat is terrified of!”

“I agree with Mrs. Amari,” Mei says quietly, though her hand curls protectively around Snowball as she speaks. 

The group bickers amongst themselves for a couple of minutes until the door swings open again. All four missing team members step out into the crowded hallway. Junkrat presses himself into Roadhog’s side as he pulls at his patchy hair and looks at the ground. “Imma sorry for forgettin’ it was a game.” Junkrat glances up at them while managing to not look at a single person. He bites the knuckles of his flesh hand, seems to realize what he’s doing, and then grips his hands together in front of him. He laughs and it sounds a bit off from his normal glee but the normality of it is still calming. “Hope you like the shirts, designed ‘em myself!”

All eyes turn to Lucio and Hana. They grin and hold up their arms to show off two large piles of hideous pink cloth. “Come on, guys,” Lucio says and skates down the hallway with glee. Hana follows quickly behind, forcing the rest of them to follow. They settle into the break room with Lucio and Hana standing at the front. The only people missing are Junkrat and Roadhog. 

Hana and Lucio dump their armfuls onto the carpet and pick up a couple t shirts to show off. Hana holds one of the pink shirts up to show the front to everyone. It has a small cartoon pig face on it, that matches Hog’s gut tattoo. It’s large and adorable and Hana absolutely beams as she looks at it. Underneath the cute face are the words GAME OVER in pixelated font. 

Lucio laughs and picks up a shirt to show the back side which just reads OverWatch 2k18 in the same pixelated font. “Get it? We can make new ones for each year! Or maybe even on special occasions or holidays! It’ll be fun!” 

“What am I looking at?” Widowmaker asks in dawning horror. 

“It’s our new team uniform. We’ll wear them for every simulation, that way Junkrat can understand when we’re in a real mission versus just a training one.” 

Everyone is silent as they stare at the pink shirts. Ana is grinning widely and Reinhardt is just smiling in his normal affable manner. Torbjorn shrugs his shoulders and Mercy raises one eyebrow. Hanzo jumps up and shouts, “What?!” 

Genji laughs and replies, “Don’t worry, brother. Only the team will ever see you wearing it!” 

“But it’s pink and garrish!” Hanzo argues. 

“Isn’t it so cute!!” Hana squeals. It’s a similar shade of pink as her MEKA. 

 

The next week everyone wears their appropriately sized simulation t shirts and Junkrat beams when he sees them all. He fawns over the piggies and keeps asking everyone the same questions, having forgotten that he’s already asked them. His teammates answer them readily enough and several of them are given thankful nods of approval from Roadhog for their patience. 

They’ve all had more time between the two simulations to be around Junkrat. They’re starting to understand the things he struggles with. Like names and object permanence. Sombra and McCree like to tease him, but make sure they keep a safe distance when they do it. Lucio and Hana take the brunt of repeated explanations with aplomb and enthusiasm. Reinhardt in particular is enjoying getting to regale the junkers with his favourite stories several times over. The Overwatch team is informed and prepared now. They understand that Junkrat’s memory is a but shortwired, and they do their best to work with him. 

The second simulation, like the last one, starts off reasonably well. Junkrat is still largely oblivious, but he’s starting to understand the bigger picture. He remembers to not shoot McCree and he shouts Lucio’s name when he’s speed boosted into the enemy ranks. Spirits are high as they beat back the programmed enemies. 

However, everyone freezes the first time Roadhog dies, all eyes on Junkrat. The skinny aussie blinks at the body of his partner in front of him and his lips pull back in a snarl of confusion and fear again. Then his head jerks down to look at the front of his own shirt and his muscles loosen. His flesh fingers dance across the pig insignia and he giggles quietly. The young junker glances around at everyone else’s pink clothing and he smiles shakily. “I designed ‘em meself, ya’ know!” he shouts. He cackles and sends more bombs raining onto the enemy. He glances uneasily at Roadhog’s still form but doesn’t break down. 

When the giant pig loving man shows up next to Junkrat again half a minute later, the team lets out a collective sigh of relief. Lucio and Hana beam and gives thumbs up to Junkrat who returns the gestures enthusiastically. Junkrat jumps onto Roadhog’s shoulder and cackles as he lays waste to any enemies foolish enough to approach the duo. “HOOK ‘EM AND COOK ‘EM, eh, Hoggie?! GAME OVER for yous, ya drongos!”

**Author's Note:**

> In my universe Junkrat has BPD and anxiety and a nonspecific memory (among other things). I had these little snapshots with the other characters running through my head for a few days, and it's five in the morning and this happened. Sorry not sorry. :)   
> I love me some junker bois! I love experimenting with their partnership and all the different coping mechanisms they must have. Junkrat is a pile of fluff and Roadhog will protect it with his life.


End file.
